SMALL HANGUNS FOR SELF DEFENSE

[williamlayton]

Actually nothing TN, but get a lover to admit it---I won't---no siree.
Blessings

[LCR]

  I can carry an NAA .32 in a speedo if I needed to. My .32 is in my pocket every Sunday morning at Church.
 God bless.

Yeah, but it would be really embarrassing if a chick walked up to you on the beach and ask.."Are you glad to see me or are you packing a Mini revolver in your Speedo?"    

   It wouldn't be near as embarrassing as her comparing my .32 with Williams .45

[nseries]

Just to throw my 2 cents in... 

If you're in the market for a new concealed carry gun, this chart may be of some interest.

   http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

[mechanic]

Just to throw my 2 cents in... 

If you're in the market for a new concealed carry gun, this chart may be of some interest.

   http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

One not on the list, the "Baby Eagle".  An extremely well made little 380.

[Lost Oki]

Have to agree with WilliamL.  I carried a Colt 1991A1 Officers Model .45 and spare clip for two days in shorts and T shirt.
I use a wrap around elastic holster that allows me to carry it under my arm.  No one noticed, not even my wife who
knew I had it.  Its not a poly frame and heavy, but with this holster I don't notice it.  When I want light, I go with
the wife's Taurus ultralight .38 2".  When loaded with 170 grain cast reloads, it weighs less than the .45 empty.
When she decided to get her ccw we went to the gun store and she found what she liked.  She was upset that
she could not fit the Ruger Super Black Hawk .44 mag in her purse...she really likes that one.

[rawhidekid]

When I lived in Chicago back in the 50's,(I was 10 then), I would see men with knots in their hands.  I asked what the knots were from and was told "if you put your hand in front of a 25 auto it won't go through".  I have always taken their word for it and never carried one.  My wife now carries my Colt 1903 pocket pistol in 32 ACP in her $50.00 purce with handgun pocket.

[Savage]

When I lived in Chicago back in the 50's,(I was 10 then), I would see men with knots in their hands.  I asked what the knots were from and was told "if you put your hand in front of a 25 auto it won't go through".  I have always taken their word for it and never carried one.  My wife now carries my Colt 1903 pocket pistol in 32 ACP in her $50.00 purce with handgun pocket.

Now there's a myth buster program I'd watch!   
Savage

[GH1]

[/quote]

One not on the list, the "Baby Eagle".  An extremely well made little 380.
[/quote]

I saw a Magnum Research on the list, is that not the same gun?  I was also quite disappointed not to see Bersa represented. I own one and find it to be a well made, easy shooting weapon.
GH1

[bcp]

Who said carry enough gun ?

A book title, by Robert Roark.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Ruark

"...Use Enough Gun, which is essentially a collection of segments from his earlier works"

Bruce

[Dee]

When I lived in Chicago back in the 50's,(I was 10 then), I would see men with knots in their hands.  I asked what the knots were from and was told "if you put your hand in front of a 25 auto it won't go through".  I have always taken their word for it and never carried one.  My wife now carries my Colt 1903 pocket pistol in 32 ACP in her $50.00 purce with handgun pocket.

Now there's a myth buster program I'd watch!   
Savage

Me too Savage. I'd watch that one. I interviewed two gents back in the late 70s that had been shot by 25acps and they didn't have knots. They had entrance wounds. By the way. The interviews of both were at emergency rooms at hospitals. Both encourged the belief that it was painful to be shot with a 25.

[SHOOTALL]

I still believe that to tote a gun requires a change in lyfestyle . One should carry as much gun as they can . But that's just me.

[rawhidekid]

The men I refered to were men of color living on the south side of Chicago.  25's were so commen that I would find unfired rounds on the street corners.  My grandfather had one he used to chase off grandmas' boyfriends with(firing it in the air).  Having actually seen those knots on the backs of at least three mens hands I had no reason to doubt the story.

[U S Male]

About 20 years ago there was a small convienence store operated by a man I knew. One day one of his jealous girlfriends came in the store and they began to argue and as the argument got more heated she pulled a 25 auto and shot him 3 times before he took the gun from her and managed to shoot her twice.

He died from his wounds and at that time I was a reserve leo so we had to station officers at the hospital (for her) 24/7 because he a lot of family who was very upset about this incidence. she survived the shooting but I can't remember how much jail time she got...seems like they put her away for good.

[Dee]

Well U S Male. That was only fair, since she put him away for good. So to speak.

[teamnelson]

A gut shot gone septic by a .22 is a bad way to go ... I'd rather not get shot by anything regardless of caliber.

[Mikey]

Hmmmm, every 25 auto wound I have seen to a hand (here, hold up your hand, it won't hurt) has been through and through.  32s do the same thing.  A 25 to the calf or foot will go through; may not t&t the thigh of a good sized guy though. 

Had one gal kept coming to the ER to get stitched up every time her husband would get drunk and beat her - usually on Friday nights.  She got a 25 from one of her girlfriends and stood on a chair to shoot him as he came through the front door - she shot him square in the forehead and he went over backwards and never got up - he survived but his brain was seriously scrambled and she was never charged.  I fully agree with TeamNelson - I'd rather not get shot by anything regardless of caliber. 

[SHOOTALL]

I saw ( i was working less than 25 yards away) a man shot with a 25 auto . The shooter was standing next to the guy at the start , it turned into a fight  . 7 shots - 5 misses - 1 in the foot and one in the neck. The husban had caught his wife with this guy on the street . Shot him and cut her throat with a butchers knife . She lived , the guy laid on the side walk and died took about 30 min. Police 911 were called as soon as the shooting stopped . It was over 45 min before they showed up . VCU-MCV hospital maybe 10 blocks away . The old west had nothing on Richmond back in the 80's .
 I was fitting pipe in a ditch and dove to the bottom of the ditch with my welder when the lead starting flying . Had a guy on the 5th floor telling us to stay down until the shooter was gone ,
 

[drdougrx]

Jeez.....that's all I can say.......maybe I'll break out my Beretta Jetfire and try it onna hog just to see what happens......or....would this be considered suicidal tendencies??

[SHOOTALL]

I think people discount the defense put up by others . Unless you are the attacker they have the advantage . They are already in a rage , you must go from normal to enough rage to counter the attack .

[Savage]

Jeez.....that's all I can say.......maybe I'll break out my Beretta Jetfire and try it onna hog just to see what happens......or....would this be considered suicidal tendencies??

Suicidal? Naw, you just have to be a very good stalker to get close enough to put a bullet right behind the ear. If you don't mind, I'd like to video the event.
Savage

[drdougrx]

Well Sav...I'll letcha know!  

[DC]

I think the best advice is to have and carry what you can shoot.  I can handle almost any semi auto but prefer a 380 Bersa.  I like it because it is single / double, very safe, very reliable and I just plain hit what I aim at.  If a hollow point out of it doesn't work, it is not likely a 9mm, 40 S&W will cause the bad guy to stop either.  Besides who would fire only once?

As far as 22's go, my brother had a friend with a small 22 auto in his house.  A very large and heavy bad guy broke through a sliding door assuming that my brothers friend was a drug dealer that had ripped him off.  After warning the intruder, my brothers friend shot once.  The round wasn't even a 22LR, it was a short.  The shot went into the bad guys chest and penetrated his heart.  He was dead when the PD arrived.  I also rode along with the Madera, CA PD on a few occasions.  On two of those we went to homicide scenes where the murder weapon was a 22.  I am not saying that bigger is not better, but anything is better than nothing.

[jimster]

I agree with going with what you shoot well and can hit things with, what you practiced a lot with and what your confident with.  Hitting your target will be hard enough when in trouble, you want something that is second nature for you to shoot straight with. 

"I like it because it is single / double, very safe, very reliable and I just plain hit what I aim at."

I could not agree more DC....if the chips are down you'll be one step ahead there. 

 

[mcwoodduck]

When I would go out for walks with the dogs in Coyote areas I would slip this little sliver Walther TPH in my pocket.
It is only a 22 but carries 6 rounds in the mag.
Also while headed to seedier sections of LA for work I woul swap the pocket knife to the left pocket and slip it into my right in a holster.
Most people thought the square print was my Zippo.
It is about as thick as a Zippo.
the gun on top is a standard Walther PP in 32ACP.
I never felt under gunned.  And it went to the range with me often and I could shoot it.

[U S Male]

Having been shot (accident) many moons ago with a 22 lr round, I can tell you first hand that it hurts bad and BURNS bad and when you see blood gushing out on each heart beat you tend to go in shock.

 Lucky for me it wasn't in a vital area. A 22 is not what I carry for cc but it's better than nothing. I was 23 when this happened so I wasn't a little fellow and the memory of it never goes away.

[mechanic]

I saw firsthand a suicide with a 22 revolver that had an entry and exit, temple to temple.  They may not stop a moose but they ain't a toy.........

Or maybe I should say I say the results of a suicide...........

[Mike in Virginia]

If you carry a .22, .22 Magnum, .25, .380, and you ever need to use it, you will be soooooo sorry you didn't have a .45.  The little guns are so easy to carry, and are better than no gun at all, but when you need to shoot at another human, it will not be enough.  What you will need at that time is the most stomping power that you can carry.  A little gun might turn someone away from their hostile intentions, but it probably won't. 
I saw the effect of different calibers during my long career as a cop.  Sometimes, the .380's will kill, but never have I known an instance when that caliber or a lesser caliber stopped a person immediately.  A .380 is top of the mouse guns, but it ain't at all reliable in saving lives. Even head shots are usually not lethal.  A puny round stops on contact with the skull, and no few times have I known .380s and .22s to strike the forehead and follow the rim of the skull under the scalp and exit at the back. 
That said, they are not completely useless, and some folks upon being shot, fall down just because they know they've been shot.  I carry a NAA .22 Magnum in my pocket, and a .45 in my belt. 
I'm just saying, if you carry, carry enough.  Your chances of surviving a shooting encounter with just a mouse gun, is minimal. 

[U S Male]

I tend to agree with ya' Mike for the most part but I carry a Kel Tec 380 with 90 grn hp's at 1000 fps so I would tend to lean toward "it's the ammo you have in it" that takes it out of the mouse gun class. I would   rather cc my 18 rd 9mm auto or even a 45 (if I had one.. ) but my situation is that I need something small and it beats nothing at all. If you ever get a chance to fire that small 380 with the ammo mentioned you will be impressed.

[SHOOTALL]

TM a 40-45 brings un-needed weight , been there done that bought the Tshirt

[mcwoodduck]

If you carry a .22, .22 Magnum, .25, .380, and you ever need to use it, you will be soooooo sorry you didn't have a .45.  The little guns are so easy to carry, and are better than no gun at all, but when you need to shoot at another human, it will not be enough.  What you will need at that time is the most stomping power that you can carry.  A little gun might turn someone away from their hostile intentions, but it probably won't. 

At the time my options were the little TPH or NO gun.
Granted At any time I would rather have one of the larger Sigs but a dress shirt and Khaki's meeting a customer on a roof in Downtown LA, anything Bigger is going to be seen.  So far I had to use the little 22 to stop a Coyote as well as making noise to stop an Irish wolf hound named Shamus that had my neighbors 50 pound dog in it's mouth and was starting shake him.  Like I said I use the little gun quite a bit and if I am in fear of my life, I will pull it and use it.  Not flash it and hope to defuse the situation.  If you can make a .45 that is a small as the THP and will not print through my front pocket when I am out walking or headed to an area of town that I would rather not go or be in an M1 tank.  then fine.  but if it is a choice between being unarmed or being armed with a mouse gun that does not scream "he is armed" Mouse gun all the way.  Also with how small and short the gun is it is loud.  Really Loud for a little gun.  I think the added Noise from the little gun is what stopped the Irish Wolf hound and make him drop Rolly.  I pulled the little gun out and popped one into the dirt.